Hiram berdan



H. BERDAN.

Ore Amalgamator. No. 9,741. Patented May 24, 1853.

AM. PHOTO-LITE! 0. CO-NM (DSBURN E'S PROCESS.)

UNITED STATES PATENT orro.

HIRAM BERDAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FOR PULVERIZING AURIFEROUS QUARTZ AND AMALGAMATING THE GOLD.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,741, dated May 24, 1853.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, I-IIRAM BERDAN, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful improvement in the machine for crushing or grinding gold quartz and amalgamating the gold, which I denominate H. Berdans gold-quartz pulverizer and amalgamator and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a top view of the machine. Fig. 2, is a vertical section upon the line as, y, of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a section upon the line a, a, of F ig; 2, taken perpendicular to the axis of the bowl.

Similar letters refer to like parts in the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in attaching by a pin or axle, and box and sleeve a ball or sphere to the inclined shaft of an inclined basin or bowl whose axis inclines a few degrees from a perpendicular; which ball or sphere is so fastened to the axis of the bowl as to have a combined rotary and spiral motion, by the turning of the said bowl upon its inclined axis; effected by horse or any convenient power applied to cogged or other gearing. This basin is furnished with a proper supply of quicksilver, serving also as an amalgamator; retaining the finely pulverized gold, while the earthy matters pass off, with the stream of water flowing from the bowl, through openings in its sides. The ball or grinding sphere is solid, or may be made hollow, so as to be easily transported, and if hollow is weighted with lead, or sand, or any other heavy material at the mines where it is to be used, the basin which acts as an endless inclined plane, being turned upon its axis with a comparatively small amount of power, the ball in the meantime revolving continually, and by its own gravity, keeping in the lower portion of the bowl, rolling over and twisting, thus crushing and grinding the quartz successively presented to it by the continued rotation of the basin; and my invention also consists in connecting with the bowl or basin a heating or fire chamber, which chamber revolves with the bowl or basin.

The bowl (A) is cast in a single piece or may be made of sections, and is in the form of a semioblate spheroid; through its center passes the inclined shaft (B); below, the bowl is the inverted frustum fo cone D, its upper base inclosed by the rim 6, on the bottom of the bowl A, and its vertex resting on the flange (4, thus serving as a brace for steadying the bowl which rests upon the flange 0. Inclosing the shaft B, is the ring 6 fastened to the bottom of the basin; and armed with the hooks f, f. Within the ring 6, and close to the shaft B, are the small apertures a in the bottom of the basin, the use of which will be hereafter described. Upon the lower face of the rim 6 are the cogs (71,) into which meshes the cogged wheel G, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1) imparting to the bowl its rotary motion. This position of the gearing can however be altered to suit locality or the inclination of the operator.

The grinding sphere X, is fastened to the axis B, of the bowl in the following manner: Projecting from the sphere is the arm 9, passing through the box 7*, which is connected with the sleeve 8 movable upon the axis B, by a pin, which permits the axes of the box and sleeve to assume any inclination with respect to each other remaining parallel to the plane of contact of the box and sleeve. This attachment of a portion of the sphere, to a point exterior of the axis of the bowl, causes it to possess a spiral, twisting and grinding motion in addition to the rotary motion caused by the revolving of the bowl. The collar t prevents the sleeve 3, from rising too high upon the shaft B; it is adjustable by screws for regulating the grinding power of the sphere. The sphere is perforated at four points distant 90 from each other permitting the arm g to be shifted, thus preserving to the sphere its proper shape, which would soon be lost were the grinding performed by but one portion of its surface. The interior of the bowl is so constructed that the section of the portion in which the sphere rests, is a quarter of a circle of the radius of the sphere. Within the conical brace D, is the grate F, above the grate the cone is divided into four parts by the partitions P, and in the sides of the brace D, are the openings R. The object of this arrangement is to apply fire beneath the bowl to warm the quicksilver, the coals being thrown in at the openings R, are kept in position by the partiwarms the bottom of the bowl, causing the quicksilver to be sufficiently heated for performing the process of amalgamation in the best and most effectual manner. This construction of the heating chamber or furnace and the attachment of it to the bowl enables one to use such light fuel or combustible material as may be easily carried from place to place, and its connectionwith the bowl secures an economical application of the heat. The basin is generally made about six feet in diameter, but these dimensions are not arbitrary, and can be varied to suit necessity or convenience.

The crushing or pulverizing sphere as, is solid, or may be cast hollow after the manner of a shell, and filled with sand, lead, or any other heavy substance, making its weight three thousand or more pounds, or a suflicient crushing force to pulverize to an impalpable powder the gold quartz, by the revolution of the basin and the grinding of the sphere.

This machine is intended to operate in connection with stampers, in which the ore is broken to a convenient size, when it is conveyed by channels, together with a proper quantity of water into the revolving basin; in which is about twenty pounds of quicksilver. The ball and quicksilver by their gravity always remain at the lowest portion of the basin; the sphere continually revolving in an opposite direction from the basin, and having a spiral grinding motion, successively pulverizes the quartz brought before it by the rotary motion of the bowl; the whole operation taking place beneath the surface of the quicksilver, which properly heated by the fire as above described takes up the gold as soon as liberated allowing none to be carried off with the water and consequently lost. The water holding in suspension the impalpably fine earthy particles passes through the openings T.

The hooks (f) attached to the ring (0) serve to bring under the pulverizing sphere, such portions of the ore as were imperfectly crushed by the first revolution of the ball; and the ring 0 prevents the oil of the sleeve 8, from reaching the quicksilver, this oil passing ofl through the apertures a in the bottom of the bowl.

The superiority of this machine over all others for grinding gold quartz, has been fully tested by the inventor and experienced operators, and its merits will be readily recognized by the practical gold worker. The inclined bowl or basin is indispensable in the construction of a machine for this purpose, as it keeps the quicksilver continually around the ore at the crushing point, thus preventing the loss of gold which always takes place in machines of like nature, by imperfect amalgamation. Here, no particle can be lost or washed away, from the fact, that the instant the metal is liberated from the quartz it is seized by the quicksilver. The gold is also brought in contact with the pure quicksilver at the bottom of the bowl, as the impurities of the ore for which the mercury has an aflinity, unite with it, and rise as a scum to the surface of the quicksilver.

The manner of moving this machine, shows that but a small application of power, will produce the requisite crushing force; as the elements of the machine are such, that the least possible power is lost by friction.

The securing of the sphere to the axis so as to produce a spiral or grinding motion of the ball in addition to that of rotation, pulverizes the quartz submitted to its action in a far more effectual manner than by the mere weight and rotation.

The motion of the bowl in the opposite direction from the sphere admits of a large quantity of water being used, as whatever current is created always drives the particles under the sphere. The object of introducing a large quantity of water being to carry off the particles as soon as reduced, so that the ball will not be'obliged to act upon them a second time which greatly facilitates the operation.

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Attaching the ball or sphere obliquely to the inclined shaft by the pin, box and sleeve substantially as described, in combination with the inclined shaft and inclined bowl as herein set forth.

2. In connection with said bowl I claim the heating chamber or furnace, arranged,

constructed and operating in the manner and for the purposes herein specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name before two subscribing witnesses.

H. BERDAN. Witnesses S. H. imes, 0. D. MUNN. 

